Green & Clean & Laudable – Nominations for The Whole Earth and Watershed Festival Environmental Stewardship Awards Are Now Open

Do you know someone who is going above and beyond to help our planet be cleaner and greener? Do you know a teacher who is inspiring students to care for our planet? Do you know of an entire class, club or youth group working towards a greener world? How about a student striving to make Earth a healthier place? The Whole Earth and Watershed Festival Organizing Committee recognizes and honors educators, students, classes, youth groups or clubs actively engaged in exemplary conservation and sustainable practices.

Please nominate a meritorious class, club, youth group, student or educator for the Environmental Stewardship Award! Then come and celebrate with the winners at The Whole Earth and Watershed Festival at Redding City Hall and Sculpture Park on April 20th from 11 am to 5 pm.

Environmental stewardship can be as simple as cutting down on plastic, composting natural waste, buying from local farmers, reducing carbon footprints, learning and voting for climate-friendly policies, volunteering for a community garden or clean-up crew or even getting involved in public events. There are countless ways people take conservation into their own hands, committing to sustainability and working for a greener future.

The Whole Earth and Watershed Festival Environmental Stewardship winners of 2018 include a variety of amazing people and organizations striving to make our planet a greener, healthier place. Aura Weinstein planted a school orchard and a class garden used in a salad bar at her school. Kathy Hill has shown sustainability in her role at Whiskeytown Environmental School, teaching students to be stewards for our planet. Laura Bowie teaches environmental stewardship through several projects such as raising and releasing trout and bringing in community members to educate her students. Sara Hoxie helped train the teachers at her school to be environmental stewards through many activities. The Design-Build Club is learning the design
process to create solutions for their neighborhood; two of their projects included a water distribution workshop and a city street workshop. The Green Team is recycle-friendly; collecting recyclables from their elementary school and the community, volunteering on the weekends to help take the containers for redemption and maintaining the school garden.

We need to celebrate the grand efforts of the teachers, students, classes, clubs and youth groups who are leading our communities to a cleaner, greener future. It is easy to nominate! Nominations are open until March 15, 2019. All nominations will be reviewed by the Festival Executive Committee, and the winners will be notified by March 31 . Presentations will take place at the Festival on April 20.

Nominations are quick and easy online. Submit your nominations on the Whole Earth and Watershed Festival website – wholeearthandwatershedfestival.org/environmental-stewardship-awards/

At this year’s Festival, awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Educator Award: This award is given to a kindergarten through eighth grade, high school or college-level educator who has made a significant commitment to sustainability and conservation efforts, educating youth about a vision for a greener future.
• Student Award: This goes to a student, sixth grade through college, who has committed time to care for the environment and shown environmental leadership in the community.
• Class/Club/Youth Group Award: This award honors a class, club or youth group that has changed the eco ethos of their school or organization, protected the environment and positively influenced the community.

The winners of Environmental Stewardship Awards will receive recognition at the Whole Earth and Watershed Festival for their outstanding efforts. They will have the opportunity to have a booth or present an informational poster at the Festival, to create a post on the Festival’s website and to share their ideas/projects with other schools and students who want to follow their example as leaders in environmental stewardship.